Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to surge suppression devices, and more particularly relates to devices that provide surge suppression to protect sensitive electronic components due to lightning strikes and crossed power lines and which minimize injury to people caused by improperly grounded AC power outlets. Even more specifically, the present invention relates to a grounding module pluggable into a standard AC wall outlet and which detects the presence of AC power and ground and which provides an auxiliary AC receptacle and ground connection.
Description of the Prior Art
Grounding modules are often used to protect sensitive electronic equipment, such as televisions, computers, set top boxes, audio components and the like. Such grounding modules are also used in conjunction with telecommunications systems to protect network interface devices (NIDs) and optical network terminals (ONTs) from power surges caused by lightning strikes or crossed power lines and to provide an adequate ground connection for the NID or ONT and to ground the metallic shields of any coaxial cables connected to the NID or ONT and distributed interiorly throughout the residential or commercial premises.
One such grounding module is Part No. 442 or 442c manufactured by Tii Technologies Inc. of Edgewood, N.Y. Some telecommunication service providers use the Tii 442 grounding module to ground installations where easy access to conventional grounding approaches may be impractical, such as in apartment buildings where the ONT may be a significant distance from an appropriate ground point.
The Tii 442c and Tii 442 grounding module are covered by one or more of U.S. Pat. No. 7,088,564 (Chaudhry), U.S. Pat. No. 7,142,402 (Chaudhry) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,365,950 (Chaudhry), each of which is owned by Tii Technologies Inc. The disclosure of each of the aforementioned patents is incorporated herein by reference.
The Tii 442c grounding module, in particular, is mountable in a conventional 120V AC wall outlet, and is designed to detect the presence of AC power and ground, and provides an auxiliary AC receptacle and ground connection. The module includes two F-type male coaxial connectors (“signal in” and “signal out”) that provide a ground connection for the metallic shield or sleeve of any coaxial cable connected thereto. The Tii 442c grounding module provides additional features, including surge protection, the capability of terminating the module with an external No. 6 gauge grounding wire, and a ground detection circuit for the AC receptacle on which the module is mounted.
Internally, within the housing of the Tii 442c grounding module, the metallic outer sleeves of the “signal in” and “signal out” male coaxial connectors are electrically connected together and to the main ground contact within the grounding port situated on the housing. The grounding port receives the stripped end of an external grounding wire, the other end of which may be electrically connected to another external device to provide a ground connection for that device. This ground is derived from the AC receptacle the 442c module is plugged into. The stripped end of the ground wire is held in place within the grounding port by the user turning a terminating screw situated on the housing at the grounding port, which screw engages the ground wire and ensures a proper electrical connection between the ground wire and the main ground contact within the grounding port. This main ground contact is not only connected to the coaxial sleeves of the “signal in” and “signal out” connectors, as mentioned previously, but also to the ground of the surge protection circuit and ground detection circuit located within the housing, the ground contact of the auxiliary AC receptacle provided on the front side of the housing and the ground prong of the male AC connector provided on the rear side of the housing.
There may occur a situation where it is desired to ground the metallic sleeves of the “signal in” and “signal out” coaxial connectors externally, that is, outside the housing of the grounding module, rather than internally within the housing. The modified grounding module of the present invention is provided for this purpose.